Financial Management and Analysis is an introduction to the concepts, tools, and applications of finance. The purpose of this textbook is to communicate the fundamentals of financial management and financial analysis.This textbook is written in a way that will enable students who are just beginning their study of finance to understand financial decision-making and its role in the decision-making process of the entire firm.
Introduction:
Throughout the textbook, you’ll see how we view finance. We see financial decision-making as an integral part of the firm’s decision-making, not as a separate function. Financial decision-making involves coordination among personnel specializing in accounting, marketing, and production aspects of the firm.
The principles and tools of finance are applicable to all forms and sizes of business enterprises, not only to large corporations. Just as there are special problems and opportunities for small family-owned businesses (such as where to obtain financing), there are special problems and opportunities for large corporations (such as agency problems that arise when management of the firm is separated from the firm’s owners).
But the fundamentals of financial management are the same regardless of the size or form of the business. For example, a dollar today is worth more than a dollar one year from today, whether you are making decisions for a sole proprietorship or a large corporation. Financial Management and Analysis is presented in seven parts. The first two parts (Parts One and Two) cover the basics, including the objective of financial management, valuation principles, and the relation between risk and return.
Financial decision-making is covered in Parts Three, Four, and Five where we present long-term investment management (commonly referred to as capital budgeting), the management of long-term sources of funds, and working capital management. Part Six covers financial statement analysis which includes financial ratio analysis, earnings analysis, and cash flow analysis. The last part (Part Seven) covers several specialized topics: international financial management, borrowing via structured financial transactions (i.e., asset securitization), project financing, equipment leasing, and financial planning and strategy.
Contents:
- Foundations
- The Fundamentals of Valuation
- Long-Term Investment Decisions
- Financing Decisions
- Managing Working Capital
- Financial Statement Analysis
- Selected Topics in Financial Management
